Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Mehama, OR has a lot to offer. Mehama is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Mehama, OR. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
The main campground has tent sites, RV spots and cabins. Bring your horse and stay in the horse campground.
Campground Book sites at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance. Reservations are required for cabin stays.
48 electrical sites with water (18+ sites open year-round) 43 tent sites with water nearby (seasonal May–Oct.) 14 cabins (7 pet friendly, open year-round) Flush toilets and showers Universal Access: Campsites B2 and B4, four cabins, and campground restrooms/showers are accessible. Howard Creek Horse Camp (seasonal May–Oct) 5 primitive sites with horse stalls Group site for 24 people and 12 horses
People call it the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Parks system, and once you visit, you know why. Silver Falls State Park is the kind of standout scenic treasure that puts Oregon firmly onto the national—and international—stage.
Camping: The main Silver Falls campground has tent sites, RV spots and cabins. Bring your horse and stay in the horse campground. If you need an area for many people, the park also has group tent and RV camps, and the historic Youth Camp for up to 250 campers.
Waterfalls: Where else can you walk behind a waterfall? Check out the famous South Falls and see what a 177-foot curtain of water looks like from behind. It’s part of the Trail of Ten Falls, a spectacular, nationally recognized hiking trail that weaves through a dense forested landscape. The trail passes a series of breathtaking waterfalls along a rocky canyon, and descends to a winding creek at the forest floor. This 7.2 mile loop is considered to be a moderate hike, with an overall elevation change of 800 feet. Several connecting trails with separate access points make shorter routes. For everyone’s safety— absolutely no pets allowed on the Canyon Trail. Pets on leash are allowed on all other trails.
Boots, bikes, paws, hooves: The park offers more than 35 miles of backcountry trails for mountain biking, hiking or horseback riding (see guided ride info below). Bears and cougars live in the more remote park areas.
Daytime activities: The South Falls Day-use area has spacious lawns, barbecue stands, picnic shelters, tables, a playground, horseshoe pits, an off lead area for dogs, and a charming creek. Ever since the opening day in 1933, visitors have been using these grounds for potlucks, family reunions and weddings.
The Silver Falls Lodge and Conference Center offers a variety of amenities. Relax and enjoy comfortable lodging within the wooded setting, or feast at the many catered specialty events. Enjoy a preordered meal at the historic dining hall or order a box lunch to take on a hike or to your campsite. They also specialize in hosting special events! Visit silverfallslodge.com or call 866-575-8875.
Guided horseback rides: Silver Falls Riding Stables at Howard Creek offers five horseback rides daily through Sept. 29. Advanced reservation recommended. Visit silverfallslodge.com for times and rates.
$28 / night
Champoeg State Heritage Area features a rare combination of history, nature, and recreation. Situated south of Newberg along the scenic Willamette River, Champoeg's forests, fields, and wetlands recreate the landscape of a bygone era.
This is the site where Oregon's first provisional government was formed by a historical vote in 1843. A thriving town of 200 was established, only to be washed away during a great flood in 1861. This rich history earns the park’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
A diversity of activities await. Enjoy walking or biking on the paved trails that pass historical landmarks and hug the river. Play the 18-hole disc golf course under the oak trees, relax at the multitude of scenic picnic areas, or fish or kayak from dock on the Willamette River. For RV's there are 21 full-hookup sites and 54 electric sites with water.
The ecologically rich landscape is home to more than 130 bird species, including seasonally nesting western bluebirds and acorn woodpeckers.
$5 - $72 / night
$23 / night
Southshore Campground provides 30 campsites, 25 single and 5 double sites, in two main loops.__ There are both reservable and FCFS campsites. The sites can accommodate trailers up to 30 feet in length.__ All sites are equipped with picnic tables and fire rings.__ The Boat Launch area includes the launch and two courtesy docks.__ Drinking water is available to both sites via individual faucet risers located throughout the campground.__ There are two double-vault toilets, and two single-vault toilets located in accessible locations throughout the sites.__ Trash receptacles are located in the campground.__ There are approximately 43 parking spaces for use at the boat ramp area, which have also been used as overflow parking (ex. extra vehicle w/boat trailer) or the campground.__ A mix of wooded and open sites are available, located a little further away from the busier portions of Detroit Lake. You'll find quiet camping on all but the busiest weekends. Detroit Lake covers 3,500 acres and is surrounded by groves of Douglas fir.__ Scan and Pay is offered at this campground; you may also pay by cash or check for FCFS campsites. There are no refunds, modifications, cancellations, or other fee changes allowed with Scan and Pay payments. This system is the same as putting cash into a fee tube and cannot be refunded. Please download the Rec.Gov app prior to arriving at the campground as there may be no cellular service or very limited service at the campground.____ Reservations for this site can be made up to 6 months in advance of arrival date by reserving online at RECREATION.GOV or by calling 877-444-6777.
Detroit Lake is a popular destination for boating, jet skiing, swimming and fishing. Rainbow trout, Kokanee salmon and catfish are found in the lake. A boat ramp and dock are located next to the campground.
Detroit Lake is a popular destination for boating, jet skiing, swimming and fishing. Rainbow trout, Kokanee salmon and catfish are found in the lake. A boat ramp and dock are located next to the campground.
A mix of wooded and open sites are available, located a little further away from the busier portions of Detroit Lake. You'll find quiet camping on all but the busiest weekends. Detroit Lake covers 3,500 acres and is surrounded by groves of Douglas fir.
Additional hiking trails can be found across the lake, including those that lead to Dome Rock and Needle Rock. The town of Detroit is across the lake with hometown activities. The Cascading Rivers Bikeway is available for cyclists of all ages.
For facility specific information, please call (541) 967-3917.
$25 / night
Located in the Western Cascade foothills about an hour from Portland or Salem Oregon, Camp Dakota is a beautiful 45 acre forested campground and adventure park. We are open to the public year round for camping and a wide variety of fun activities for all ages. Camping options include yurt rentals, RV sites, tent sites, tee pee rentals, cabin tents, and group camping sites.
Activities available include zip lines, high ropes challenge course, paintball, a rock climbing wall, high adventure programs, team building programs, gold panning, treasure hunting, and an 18 hole disc golf course. Onsite amenities include hot showers, firewood sales, ice, hot coffee & espresso, pizza delivery, catered meals, snacks, camping gear, and souvenirs.
$55 - $300 / night
Stayed just one night in site 1, which was the only one available. It’s very private being far from the trail and has good access to the shore but is very shady at all times, although also sheltered from the wind. There was a fire ring (although no fires allowed) and a table. Several viable tent spots on the site. The toilets were closed and, unfortunately, previous campers weren’t so great at “leave no trace” because we found a bunch of dog and human feces around.
Web site claims "Drinking Water" is available. However, the water coming out of the tap was brown, probably full of rust and minerals. The host told us not to drink the water, only use for toilet flushing and maybe shower. The county claims it is safe, I don't believe them.
Our GPS gave us good instructions to the adjacent golf course. There wasn’t any signage until we got to the golf course. We saw the RV campground (CG) and headed to the left up a hill to a building we later found out housed the bathhouse and laundry. There was a sign to“Detach Your Tow Vehicles Here.” Then another sign stating to call a given phone number to assist with registration. We called the number and they gave us our site number and told us to come by the golf course pro shop later to register. We walked into the small CG to find site 14 and look at the best route to this pull-through with FHUs. Site 14 was an easy pull through and we positioned our rig to facilitate our hookups. The utilities were placed in the middle of the pad, which was plenty long enough for our rig to include putting our back patio down. We had a minor issue with the Oregon-required spigot regulator leaking water. They do have good water pressure at about 50 psi. We reported the issue to the RV manager, Jeff, when we checked in at the clubhouse and they sent someone over the next day to fix the leak. Our nightly rate reflects their golf package for 2 golfers for 2 weeks without cart. Their free Wifi worked much better than most CGs this size. We got 3 bars on Verizon. There are mature trees but we were able to position Starlink to get a strong enough signal for our needs(internet access and streaming). They have cable but admittedly, they are not doing much maintenance as most people don’t use it. The sites here are close together but have a little yard so you are not sitting on the next site’s sewer. Everyone who stays at this RV CG has to have some sort of golf package. Our Vilano Okie Friends came to visit for three nights and had to buy at least one golf round. Our golf package paid for the golf but for a powered cart you have to pay$20 per person for 9 holes or$30 for 18. There’s a mixture of pull throughs and back-in sites in this CG. Some of the back-in sites would be difficult backing for larger rigs due to the limited road width. We suggest calling and talking to the RV manager to discuss which of those sites will fit your rig. One thing we really liked was that after golfing and taking the cart back to the CG to unload our clubs, one of the employees came up around 3:30 PM each day to fetch the carts back. We enjoyed our stay and especially the golf.
Love the water access here, it’s a beautiful view. Saw a downed tree that looked like a dragon! There’s also stuff for frisbee golf and some other outdoor activities.
It's really a beautiful area a nice place to stay people are awesome really pretty the got everything,
This was one of my favorite established campgrounds I stayed at on my roadtrip through Oregon. The big trees are perfect shade and beautiful. The roads are perfect for biking and there’s a bike trail in the campground that leads you straight to the park. Bathrooms and showers are clean and well taken care of. There is an incredible trash and recycling center at the front of the camper ground. Campsites can be decently close to one another, so not secluded but that wasn’t an issue for me. Obviously with family’s there’s going to be noise early in the morning and late at night so just be aware of that. But I didn’t mind, and wish I could have stayed here one more night. Something I was also pleasantly surprised by was how the trees blocked excessive heat. There was a heat wave going on during the time I was there but I didn’t have a problem at all here. It was such a relief.
They ignored my issue with the sprinkler system leaving my lot with 2-3" of water until 11am. No broken lines just a timing issue but they didn't do anything about it over my 3 day stay. Nothing to help, just looked and said, Ya, that's a lot of water. Of course it was deepest near my steps, even said I couldn't put down a mat cause it would ruin the grass. At least they couldve acted concerned.
Stayed here one night. It got pretty chilly at night. I never found a camp host. be sure to bring firewood as there was none for sale in the campground. I had a site on the lower loop that backed up to the river. It was gorgeous! The McKenzie river is like something out of a Disney movie. Site 17 is very small wouldn’t be able to accommodate more than one tent. Other spots on the loop were a lot bigger so better for larger groups. That said my site did have a cute little area next to river perfect for setting up some chairs and having a beverage just watching the river. Vault toilets no running water just the old pioneer pump no phone service with Verizon
A nice spot nearby to Portland. Able to make a day trip on the Columbia River Gorge. Sites in Loop A are close together and pretty open, but sites in Loop B are much further spaced and more private. Nice enough place to visit and spend some time, but not sure if we'd go back with other places around.
Facilities: Showers and bathrooms were good, separate shower rooms, no backup pit toilets (an issue when the water went out one day), a lot of good trails for hiking and biking with the dogs
Cell Service: Good enough Verizon and T-mobile to work remotely
Starlink: While we didn't need to use it, some sites were using it nearby and have a clear enough view to probably make it work
Solar: A few sites, primarily in the B-loop, are open enough for solar in some way
Catherine Thagard is downright racist. She is claims policies that are not written. They threaten you, and are horifically aggressive. They bend their "rules" and policies dependent on "who" you are. Most importantly, they treat their employees horribly. Only stay here if you want to fund a racist, masaginistic company that willingly abuses their staff.
They invent new policies as they see fit. Their employees approve your stay, then management comes by and threatens to ask to to leave without refunding you. The bathrooms are hideous, the sites are next to their dumping grounds and management will harass you. If you are female, don't stay here. The male manager Tyler is creepy and very threatening.
We got here late but met the friendly camp host. Awesome campsites near restrooms, had a picnic table and fire pit with a fold over grill for cooking food. Not free camping!! Paid $25 for the night but it was worth it. We would stay here again.
This was the first campground I went to using this app and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. The tent sites were clean as well as the bathrooms and showers. Super peaceful and the park hosts were very nice and accommodating. Will absolutely be coming back!
Such a wonderful and peaceful place to stay Clean, quiet and relaxing
General: Two loops with a mix of electric and non-electric sites plus cabins.
Site Quality: All sites have paved, level camper pads, a picnic table, and a fire ring. Reasonable separation/privacy between sites, although you will see and hear your neighbors.
Bath/Shower House: Bathrooms have been updated since our last visit six years ago. Automatic flush toilets and sinks. Soap dispensers and air dryers. They were clean. Showers are individual stalls with a bench and hooks for toiletries. The only thing missing was a garbage receptacle and there were signs indicating you needed to take your garbage out. I can only guess that previous campers abused the bathroom garbage, thus taking away the convenience for everyone else!
Activities: Highlight for us is the Trail of Ten Falls which, as the name suggests, takes you past ten waterfalls. The entire trail is just over seven miles but there are shorter loop options. The best access is from the day-use area but you can get there from the campground to add mileage. Pets are not allowed on this trail. There are paved bike trails and other backcountry trails that allow dogs and horses.
Our first visit to this state park was in 1990, and we returned in 1997 and 2017. We have loved it every time, even when it rains, as it does almost every time we visit!
This is a well-maintained, "polished" campground, perfect for first-time campers or if you're still needing some higher ammenities. They have the nicest camp bathrooms I have seen, and include showers with hot water. They have a self-service area for firewood, ice, and firestarters that you can pay for with card or cash (only up to $5 bills) and then grab what you need. The trash area has a large compactor with recycling and glass bins.
Overall, it's enjoyable and provides a very comfortable camping experience. This is also a very family-friendly campsite, but that meant hearing screaming children well into 10 at night and early in the morning with little time to enjoy to sounds of being out in nature. Children would be riding their bikes up and down the campsite loop yelling and playing, again fine for family-friendly camping but not ideal if you're not there for that.
We stayed at campsite 85 which had little privacy with the neighboring spot of 83. Would be a good spot for a family or group of friends to book out both spots for shared space. Not many trees in ideal spots if you're here during rainy season and need to tie up some shelter. There were ants all over the campsite but they didn't seem to be too much of an issue. A group of deer wandering down the camp road eating plants, seems undisturbed by the presence of humans. Also had a small skunk wander up to our trash bag and try to get in.
This campground is an easy walking distance down a trail to access the trailheads, park, and lodge area (less than a mile). Your camp parking pass also doubles as a day pass to part at any of the surrounding spots in the park if you prefer to drive there.
If you show up late for a Yurt rental, things will get hectic real fast! The information on their website conflicts with their actual practices, which is exactly what the Ranger (Kyle Parker) told me, so don't expect a refund or anything like that if you show up and your rental is locked.
It seems this place is run by people who barely work, so when something comes up, they're grossly unprepared/ incompetent.
We went to the campground to check in to our beautiful site on the river but the smell of smoke was so overpowering. We drove to service and realized the wildfire was very close and we would be just outside the evacuation area. We played it safe and cancelled. So sad we couldn’t stay, it was such a clean and beautiful campground!
Came to Silver Creek Falls fir 3 day family union, from Montana. Never seen such a beautiful area. Planning on coming back for a visit to relation and would love to camp fir a few days would like fees, length of time for tent area, shower, bathroom?
Gone Creek is a nice quiet camp closed to the public and for camper use only. The fact there is no Day Use reduces the people along the water front. Put toilets and water available, I was super impressed with how clean the camp hosts kept the restrooms and how clean they smelled. Activities include swimming, fishing, crawdadding, and hiking. We got dropped off at Little Crater Lake and hiked the 6 miles back to Gone Creek. Once fire season starts, there are no campfires but propane fires are permitted so long at they can be turned off and flames stop immediately.
Awesome campground on the lake with a biking/hiking trail around the lake and a small boat launch. The bathrooms were very clean and surprisingly smelled great!
I was planning to potentially camp here but it seems that facilities were damaged in the 2020 fires and they will not be re-established
https://www.reddit.com/r/oregon/comments/151kto5/shellburg\_falls\_santiam\_state\_forest\_oregon/
Yes, the spaces are a little tight. But not near as tight as most KOA’s! I came in late, desperate for a slot as my truck was having serious problems. They leave a notice up front for vacant sites. This was huge for me. I stayed a couple of days and the place was super clean, dog friendly, no homeless or meth addicts (like are crowding in the state parks now). Staff super friendly and on top of things. Big, big thumbs up.
Stayed in Yurt #2 in the Yurt village on Fathers Day weekend. There was also a fishing tournament this weekend, so the park was completely full. The Yurt Village stayed very quite. Most noise was the Trucks/Boat coming and leaving the boat ramp which is about 400yds away.
Yurt #2 & 3 are deluxe yurts. All this means is you get a larger deck and propane firepit. To use the firepit you need to bring your own propane, large 20lb style. The Yurts have solar lights inside and out, not sure how long they run, but they lasted us a weekend with conservative use. There is 2 pit style bathrooms in the yurt village. Bathrooms are located at the parking lot.
The yurt village is a ways from the RV/Tent sites. Not a quick or easy walk.
Parking at the yurt village is a little walk from #2 and #3. Best to bring a wagon or such to help transport. Its about 100yd walk each way.
There are 3 beds, one full side bottom with a twin bunk on top and one full size futon. There is a dining table and 4 chairs. There is no running water, bring your own water. I saw a fountain near the parking lot, but did not test it.
While it says no pets, one other yurt had two well behaved dogs. The park knew and didnt stop them, so make your own decision with your pets but dont ruin it for others please.
Weather was pretty good for us. No mosquitoes, though lots of nats but able to sit outside all day without being bothered too much.
It is a great place to chill out but don't Feed the locals the won't evere leave trust me lol
Great place for a family. We tent camped here with a 3 year old. Great facilities, great hosts, and great activities for the toddler.
Bathrooms were clean (and kept clean) throughout our stay. Hot showers in the morning were amazing after a chilly night.
The hosts were welcoming and made sure we were comfortable with our stay. We also got a scavenger hunt with stickers for our toddler.
There is also a play area for the kiddos along with walking paths along the water.
One knock on the place is that the campsites are bumped up really close to each other. We were lucky in that we had really nice neighbors, but I could imagine if we did not have that experience.
This campsite was spacious and a short 5-minute drive to the Trail of Ten Waterfalls hike. The park rangers are quite attentive and friendly. The bathrooms have outlets and are clean. They also have 3 showers, the shower head was interesting but gets the job done. Drivers must keep their cars on the driveways that are at each campsite but it was not an issue for us at all. Just a PSA. The only issue we encountered was raccoons. They didn't get into any of our stuff and were easily scared away, but even while talking by the fire at night, a couple of raccoons would join us. Harmless really. When we visited, there were a ton of families with children so it felt safe. We hiked the Trail of Ten Waterfalls but were told to do a loop for a bit of a shorter hike. (The full hike is about 8 miles, but the loop is about 6 miles where you get to see 7/10 waterfalls -- which are all so beautiful. We were told to do the hike in a clockwise direction. This allows hikers to go downstairs at the beginning of the trail instead of having to go up all of them towards the end of their long hike. I recommend stopping for a map of the trail to know which falls you are at. We enjoyed coffee, Italian soda, and huckleberry ice cream at the cafe next to the trailhead after our hike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Mehama, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Mehama, OR is Silver Falls State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 71 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 35 glamping camping locations near Mehama, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
